A 63-year-old Western Slope man is accused of starting a wildfire in an attempt to cremate his dog.
The Montrose County Sheriff's Office confirmed that Brent Scott Garber was arrested on suspicion of arson and trespassing. Garber was identified as a suspect when he was seen driving an ATV away from where the Bucktail fire was sparked just minutes after the fire was first reported.
The fire, which sparked on Aug. 1, burned across 7,200 acres of land before it was able to be contained.
"The fire area stayed within its current footprint and rainfall helped reduce the fire intensity within the interior. Crews continued to secure containment lines. Firefighters transitioned from active suppression to repair and patrolling activities." read a statement from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Facebook page. "Suppression repair efforts occurred with crews using heavy equipment and hand tools to return impacts caused by firefighting activities to a more natural state. Some firefighters were reassigned to other wildfires in the nation needing support."
At the starting point of the fire, officials found a dug out cave, the partially charred body of a dog and a rock with the words "Oct. 2017 July 2024, Rocket Dog, Rest in Peace Buddy" scratched on to it.
Garber's dog, Rocket, had to be euthanized under the order of a judge after getting into an altercation with another dog.
The Denver Post reported that, according to witnesses, Garber confessed that he accidentally started the fire when a spray can he had thrown into the blaze exploded out of the fire pit and set a tree alight.
According to the arrest affidavit, the fire caused over $300,000 in damages.
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